Joshua Defeats Amalek

An attack. “Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim” (17:8). Israel had just received water from the rock when a new danger came. Who were the Amalekites? They were a desert people. Their ancestor Amalek was a grandson of Esau (Genesis 36:12), so they were distant relatives of Israel. Why it was wrong. Later Moses reminded Israel that Amalek “attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God” (Deuteronomy 25:18). They went after the weakest people. Joshua. “And Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek’” (17:9). This is the first time Joshua appears in the Bible. Years later he would lead Israel into the Promised Land. Moses' part. “Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand” (17:9). The rod was a sign of God's power. What we learn. God gave each person a part to play. Joshua fought, and Moses looked to God. Both jobs mattered.

A new kind of test (17:8). Marah, the manna and Rephidim tested Israel through need. Now the test comes through an enemy. Israel had never fought a battle; at the sea, God fought for them while they stood still (14:14). Here they must go out, yet the victory will still be God's. Amalek's identity. Genesis 36:12 traces Amalek to Eliphaz, Esau's son. God is not condemning Esau's whole family. The judgment of 17:14-16 falls on this people for this act, which Deuteronomy 25:17-18 describes: they attacked “the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God.” God condemns those who prey on the weak. Joshua introduced (17:9). Joshua's name, Yehoshua (say: yeh-HOH-shoo-ah), means “the Lord saves.” He first appears as a soldier under Moses' direction and will later become Moses' assistant (24:13) and successor. The rod of God (17:9). Moses calls it “the rod of God,” the staff that turned into a serpent, struck the Nile and divided the sea. Its presence on the hill shows that the battle depends on God, not merely on Joshua's soldiers. Divided roles. Joshua in the valley and Moses on the hill show that God's work involves both action and dependence. Neither replaces the other.

God's people had just gotten water from the rock. Then a new trouble came. A group of people called the Amalekites attacked them. Later the Bible says they attacked the tired people at the back. That was very unkind. Moses called a young man named Joshua. This is the first time the Bible talks about Joshua. Moses said, “Choose some men and go and fight the Amalekites.” Moses had a job too. He would stand on top of a hill. He would hold up the stick God gave him. Joshua would fight in the valley. Moses would look to God on the hill. They each had a part to do.

Some people called Amalekites came to fight. Moses asked Joshua to lead. God's people were not alone. God was with them.

Up the hill. “So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill” (17:10). Hur was a leader in Israel (24:14). Up and down. “And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed” (17:11). To prevail means to win. Not magic. Moses' hands did not have special power. The rod of God lifted high showed that the battle belonged to the Lord. A picture of prayer. Many Christians see Moses' lifted hands as a picture of prayer. The Bible speaks of “lifting up holy hands” in prayer (1 Timothy 2:8). Depending on God. Joshua's soldiers fought hard, but they could not win without God. Their success rose and fell with Moses' lifted hands. Our help. “I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord” (Psalm 121:1-2). What we learn. We should work hard, but we must also depend on God in prayer.

The hilltop (17:10). Three men climb: Moses, Aaron and Hur. Hur appears again in 24:14, sharing responsibility with Aaron while Moses is on the mountain. The leadership of Israel is shared. Hand up, hand down (17:11). When Moses' hand was up, Israel prevailed; when it came down, Amalek prevailed. Moses' arms had no power of their own. Verse 9 links the lifted hand to “the rod of God,” the visible sign of God's presence and authority. Israel won as long as the sign of God's power was held high over them. A picture of prayer. Many Christians see the raised hands as a picture of prayer and dependence on God. Israel prevailed as they looked upward and trusted the Lord, not their own swords. Paul speaks of “lifting up holy hands” in prayer (1 Timothy 2:8), and the same God still hears His people when they look to Him. Human effort and divine power. Joshua fights with real weapons. Moses lifts the rod. Faithful action and dependent prayer are both required, and the outcome belongs to God (compare 2 Corinthians 10:4). Looking up. Psalm 121 asks, “From whence comes my help?” and answers, “My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”

Moses climbed up the hill with Aaron and Hur. Down below, Joshua and his men were fighting. Moses held up his hands with God's stick. When his hands were up, Israel was winning. If his hands came down, the Amalekites were winning. Why did this happen? The stick was a sign of God's power. When Moses held it up, it showed that Israel was trusting God. Moses was looking to God for help, just like when we pray. Joshua's sword was not enough by itself. Israel needed God to win. We need God too. We can lift our hands and hearts to Him.

Moses held his hands up. Then God's people were winning! God was the one who gave them the win.

Tired arms. “But Moses' hands became heavy” (17:12). Even Moses could not keep his hands up by himself. A seat. “So they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it” (17:12). Aaron and Hur noticed Moses' need and did something about it. Holding him up. “And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun” (17:12). The victory. “So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword” (17:13). God gave Israel the win. Teamwork. Joshua fought. Moses held up the rod. Aaron and Hur held up Moses. Everyone had a part. Bear each other's burdens. “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). Two are better. “Two are better than one… For if they fall, one will lift up his companion” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). What we learn. No one is meant to serve God alone. We need each other.

Weakness acknowledged (17:12). “Moses' hands became heavy.” The great leader has limits. In the next chapter Jethro will warn him that he cannot carry the people alone (18:18). God never meant Moses to do it all by himself. Practical help. Aaron and Hur provide a stone to sit on and physical support for his arms. The help is simple, concrete and sustained “until the going down of the sun.” The Hebrew word for “steady,” emunah (say: eh-moo-NAH), is the word usually translated “faithfulness.” Moses' hands were made faithful by the faithfulness of his friends. The victory (17:13). “Joshua defeated Amalek… with the edge of the sword.” Israel did not boast about the fighting. God gave the victory, and Moses' first response would be worship. The body of Christ. The New Testament applies this kind of mutual support to the church: “Bear one another's burdens” (Galatians 6:2); “pray for one another” (James 5:16); “consider one another in order to stir up love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24). Strength renewed. Isaiah 40:29 promises, “He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.” Often God gives that strength through other believers.

Holding your arms up is hard! After a while, Moses' arms got very tired. They started to come down. So Aaron and Hur came up with a plan. They found a big rock. Moses sat down on the rock. Then Aaron stood on one side. Hur stood on the other side. Each of them held up one of Moses' hands. They held them up all day until the sun went down. So Joshua and his men won the battle. Even great leaders need help. God gives us friends to help us. We can help our friends too.

Moses got tired. Aaron and Hur helped him. They held his hands up high. Friends help each other.

Write it down. “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua’” (17:14). This is the first time the Bible mentions writing something in a book. Why remember? God wanted Israel, and especially Joshua, to remember how He gave them victory. Joshua would need that memory later. A hard promise. God said He would “utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven” (17:14). This was God's judgment on a people who attacked the weak and “did not fear God” (Deuteronomy 25:18). God also says, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked” (Ezekiel 33:11). An altar. “And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner” (17:15). A banner. A banner was a flag or pole held high so soldiers could see it and gather. Moses was saying that God Himself led them. What we learn. When God helps us, we should thank Him and remember. God is the One who leads us and wins our battles.

The first writing (17:14). “Write this for a memorial in the book.” This is the first command in the Bible to write something down. Exodus will later record Moses writing down all the words of the Lord (24:4). Scripture itself begins as a memorial of God's acts. For Joshua's hearing. God instructs Moses to “recount it in the hearing of Joshua.” The future leader must remember that victory came from God, not from his own skill. A sobering verdict (17:14, 16). “I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek.” Deuteronomy 25:17-19 repeats this, grounding it in Amalek's assault on the weary and its lack of fear of God. This is divine judgment, not license for personal revenge. God declares, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked” (Ezekiel 33:11). YHWH Nissi (17:15). The altar's name means “The Lord is my banner” (nes, say: NACE, a standard or rallying pole). It parallels the lifted rod: the true standard raised over Israel is the Lord Himself. Psalm 60:4 says, “You have given a banner to those who fear You.” God's oath (17:16). The NKJV reads, “Because the Lord has sworn”; the ICB reads, “I lifted my hands toward the Lord's throne.” Translations differ, but both point to God's commitment to defend His people.

After the battle, God spoke to Moses. He said, “Write about this battle in a book.” This is the first time the Bible mentions writing in a book. God wanted His people to remember what He did. God also told Moses to tell Joshua. God said He would stop the Amalekites from hurting His people. Then Moses built an altar. An altar is a place to worship God. Moses named it “The Lord is my Banner.” A banner is a flag that soldiers follow in a battle. Moses was saying God led them and won the battle. God was their flag! He is our banner too.

Moses built an altar. He named it “The Lord is my Banner.” A banner is a flag. God fights for us!